英语词汇学知识点英语词汇学知识点.doc

English Lexicology: A Coursebook Chapter 1 Lexicology and Words Knowledge Points: 1. Lexicology is the study of the vocabulary or lexicon of a given language. 2. Morphology is the study of the forms of words and their components. 3. The major purpose of study in morphology is to look at morphemes and their arrangements in word formation. 4. Morpheme is the smallest meaningful unit of language. Morphemes may constitute words or parts of words. 5. Semantics is defined as the study of meaning. 6. Generally speaking, semantics focuses on: 1) the meaning of words; 2) the meaning of utterances in context; 3) the meaning of sentences; 4) meaning relations between sentences; 5) meaning relations that are internal to the vocabulary of a language. 7. Etymology is the study of the whole history of words. 8. Word is used traditionally to refer to a sequence of letters bounded by spaces. 9. The term word is also used to refer to an intermediate structure smaller than a whole phrase and yet generally larger than a single sound segment. 10. Major features of Words 1) A word is a sound or combination of sounds which we make voluntarily with our vocal equipment. 2) A word is symbolic and is used to stand for something else. 3) The word is an uninterruptible unit. 4) A word has to do with its social function. 5) A word may consist of one or more morphemes. 6) Words are part of the large communication system we call language. 7) A word occurs typically in the structure of phrases. 11. In traditional grammar, eight parts of speech are distinguished in English: noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. 12. Words can also be classified into lexical words and grammatical words. 13. Generally speaking, lexical words are nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. 14. The lexical words can be used (functions): 1) to represent our experience of the word; 2) to refer to persons, places, things and concepts (e.g. the nouns Smith, London, pineapple,